In Mizoram, a rare natural phenomenon is unfolding with devastating consequences. The gregarious flowering of the dominant bamboo species Bambusa tulda in 2025, known locally as ‘thingtam’ has triggered a rodent population explosion.

For farmers, this ecological clockwork results in the sudden destruction of their livelihoods, as rats devour entire rice and ginger harvests in a single night. Historically, these cycles have shaped Mizoram’s identity; the 1958 cycle led to a devastating famine that gave rise to a political movement which eventually led to statehood. Today, the battle continues, with over 5,000 farmers reporting crop losses averaging 40%. Some parts of the state are yet to experience bamboo blooming, leaving farmers in trepidation.

While the government has launched mass rodenticide and awareness campaigns, and distributed thousands of poison kits, the response has sparked deep tension. Locals fear soil and water contamination and the unravelling of the local trade of rat meat, a traditional delicacy. At least 18 villages have rejected the poison in favor of Indigenous rat traps and other methods. Faced with the inevitability of the flowering cycle, farmers remain caught between guarding their fields at night and awaiting compensation for their lost livelihood.

Read the full story here: Rodents boom when bamboo blooms with no solution in sight